Story perspectives

Over 1,000 AI Lab Employees Urge Global AI Slowdown

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 10:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

U.S. AI researchers and executives called for a slowdown and regulation of AI development.
Jacob Coxon, former Anthropic executive, quit warning AI could kill humanity by decade’s end.
Over 1,000 AI-lab employees signed an open letter demanding international pacing of AI progress.
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed regulation, saying AI dominance is needed to beat China.

History

Historical Context

In February 1975, roughly 140 biologists—including Paul Berg, David Baltimore and Maxine Singer—convened at the Asilomar Conference Center in California to draft voluntary safety guidelines for recombinant DNA. Their self-regulatory model, later institutionalized across U.S. labs, is now cited by AI researchers as a template for global coordinated risk mitigation efforts.

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Story summary

U.S. AI researchers and executives called for a slowdown and regulation of AI development.
Jacob Coxon, former Anthropic executive, quit warning AI could kill humanity by decade’s end.
Over 1,000 AI-lab employees signed an open letter demanding international pacing of AI progress.
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed regulation, saying AI dominance is needed to beat China.

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